Surgical adhesive tape



Patented Sept. 9, 1947 SURGICAL ADHESIVE TAPE Walter R. Russ, Little Falls, N. 1., and Charles Hoffman, Scarsdale, Thomas R. Schweitzer, Bellaire, and Gaston Dalby, New York, N. Y.,' assignors to Ward Baking Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Application November 7, 1942, Serial No. 464,894

Our present invention relates to improvements in adhesive plaster or tape. When adhesive plasters as heretofore made were applied to the skin of a patient they frequently gave rise to skin disturbances and irritations, such as itching or pruritis, or otherirritations, which in some cases necessitated leaving off the plaster. This tend- 4 Claims. (Cl. 16784) ency to irritation was, of course, more pronounced in cases in which the application of the plaster was continued over an extended period of time.

In our present invention there is provided an adsesive plaster or tape on which this tendency toward irritation or skin disturbances is substantially eliminated.

In our invention we incorporate in the adhesive plaster or tape one or more members of the mono carboxylic alkyl fatty acid series containing from 3 to 11 carbon atoms. These fatty acids may be either branch or straight chain, saturated or unsaturated, or may be halogen derivatives of such acids.

The saturated acids include propionic, butyric, valeric, caproic, heptylic, caprylic, nonylic or pelargonic, and capric.

The unsaturated acids include acrylic, crotonic, angelic, undecylenic, etc.

Any suitable salt of any of these acids may be used.

.Any member or members of the above group of acids and salts may be incorporated in the adhesive plaster or coating composition of an adhesive tape in such a manner that it will be present in sumcient amounts on the exposed surface of the coating.

The coating composition of the adhesive tape is composed basically of a gum, such as caoutchouc, and a suitable softener, such as an oil or fat, resins and a filler, such as zinc oxide, which may itself have some value as a medicament. Also a small amount of any suitable antiseptic may be incorporated.

In applying the invention, therefore, the .fatty acid or acids and its salt or salts may be incorporated in the coating composition either as a substitute in part for zinc oxide, or if the selected acid or its salt is of a sticky or viscous nature, it might be substituted in part for the softener or resin or gum. The amount of the fatty acid required at the surface need be very small because it acts in an aqueous solution in the moisture of the skin, which is necessarily very small in quantity.

Any excess over the amount required to form this very small amount of solution is of no disadvantage and the fatty acid or its salt may be the following composition:

incorporated up to any amount, therefore, which does not interfere with the adhesive qualities or strength or body of the coating material.

The concentration of the'fatty acid or its salt may range, therefore, from one just sufficient to provide suflicient surface concentration to the point where the adhesiveness or other properties of the coating may be affected.

An example of an adhesive tape coating to which the invention may be applied is one having Parts Caoutchouc 34 Dammar. '7 Colophony 3.5 Lanolin neutral 24.5 Zinc oxide 30 Examples of the application of the invention to an adhesive tape coating of the above composition are as follows:

Example I Example 11 a From 0.3% to 10% of sodium undecylenate, an unsaturatedfatty acid or its salt is admixed to the coating composition and applied to the backme in the usual manner.

Example III In this example from 0.3% to 10% sodium caprate is incorporated in the coating composition.

Example IV In this example from .01% to 5% beta iodopropionic acid is incorporated in the coating composition to be applied to the fabric coating. Or the corresponding bromin or chlorine substitution products of the series may be employed.

While the beneficial action of incorporating or associating a member or members of the above group of fatty acids or their salts may be complex, it is believed that they have the effect generally or acting as fungicides or fungistats to 3 pathogenic fungi that may be present 'on t l skin or wound being treated by the dressing or suture or tape.

The pus formation, irritation or disturbance of the skin or wound appears to be either caused directly or indirectl by certain pathogenic fungi, or to a condition brought about by their growth or development.

The fatty acid or its salt oi. the above group acts with the moisture or fluids of the skin or wound to whichit is applied, forming a liquid medium of the proper acidity or pH value that either kills the fungus or arrests its further growth or development.

These fatty acids are effective in slightly acid condition. namely a pH value of about 5 to 8, to prevent the development of those pathogenic fungi. Certain of the fatty acids and their salts also have a germicidal action, at least against certain pathogenic organisms, and they may also have an additional value in this way in addition to, or associated with, their fungicidal or fungistatic properties.

It will be apparent that the above examples are given merely by way of example and that 5 1,784,740

they may be used in connection with any particular adhesive in such a way as to bring the fatt acid or its salt into contact with the moisture of the skin or portion of the body to be treated.

Any particular acid may be selected either because it is readily available or has properties desired for a particular use as, for example, its viscosity, freedom from irritating eilects on the skin, odor or lack of odor, whether solid or liquid, etc.

What we claim is:

1. A surgical adhesive tape having an adhesive coating composition containing from 0.3 to of a member of the group consisting of the stralsht chain, branched, saturated, unsaturated and halogen substitution products of. fatty acids of from three to eleven carbon atoms inclusive and their salts.

2. A surgical tape having an adhesive coating composition containing from 0.3% to 10% by weight of a salt of propionic acid.

3. A surgical adhesive tape having an adhesive coating composition containing from 0.3% to 10% of its weight of a salt of undecylenic acid.

4. A surgical adhesive tape having an adhesive coating composition containing from 0.3% to 10% of its weight of a salt of capric acid.

WALTER R. RUSS. CHARLES HOFFMAN. THOMAS R. SCHWEITZER. GASTON DALBY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Mathey Dec. 9, 1930 1,814,221 Metcali'e July 14, 1931 1,955,052 Burnell Apr. 17, 1934 1,981,561 Lloyd .a. Nov. 20, 1934 2,063,218 Zisserman Dec. 8, 1936 2,217,905 Hoffman Oct. 15, 1940 2,272,397 Becher Feb. 10, 1942 OTHER REFERENCES "Role of Sweat as a Fungicide, by Peck et al., American Medical Assoc, Jan. 1939, pages 12 to 21.

Manufacturing Chemist, Oct. 1939, page 324. (Copies of the above in 167-58R in Division 43.) 

